Author: Sue Maclennan

Stability in Makana Municipality’s operations and management, along with urgent attention to failing services and infrastructure, were a common call by business and civic stakeholders to a senior delegation from national government in Grahamstown earlier this month. Anyone brought to Makana to fix the municipality should remain in place for an extended period, and needs the power to make decisions, the Grahamstown Business Forum said in a presentation by business and civic stakeholders to the high-powered Cogta delegation led by Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize on Friday 4 May. The Grahamstown Residents Association and major local employer Carara Agro Processing contributed…

There’s no doubt residents, businesses and institutions in Grahamstown want Cogta’s imminent intervention to work. But can it? Grocott’s Mail asks. Earlier this month Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Dr Zweli Mkhize introduced the high-powered team delegated to provide technical and managerial support and expertise to Makana Municipality. Last week Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene’s highly publicised response to parliamentary questions from DA Shadow Minister for Co-operative Governance Kevin Mileham confirmed National Treasury would be involved in managing the finances of Makana and 14 other municipalities in the Eastern Cape. But after 22 months of Section 139 (1) (b)…

A report by a team from national government says the Department of Water and Sanitation’s failure to fulfil its commitments has forced a halt to certain infrastructure projects in Makana Municipality. The report by an advance team, which identified urgent priorities for Cogta’s intervention squad currently deployed in the municipality, said other challenges included regular water cuts, no planned maintenance and and average of approximately 200 leaks needing attention at any given time. The report is titled ‘Ministerial Visit to Eastern Cape: Advance Team Report: Makana Ministerial Visit’ and dated 25 April 2018. It was prepared ahead of last Friday’s…

Two young men were uninjured during an emergency airplane landing in Colchester yesterday, police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender reported. “According to the 19-year-old pilot of the small Sling 2 aircraft, he experienced turbulence and had to land in a salt pan belonging to Tankatara Salt Works, close to Colchester at 11.20am,” Govender said. Neither the pilot nor his 21-year-old male passenger was injured in the incident, Govender said. The aircraft, belonging to a Port Elizabeth based flying school, remained in the salt pan for several hours after the incident as its owners made plans to recover it.

Ruth Woudstra Take out my phone. That is the first thing I do when waiting in a queue. And why not? I have had no chance to check my messages all day! But then that little voice – the one I try to suppress for much of the day, reminds me that this is a perfect opportunity to do some yoga. Yoga encompasses more than just physical postures, incorporating elements such breathing techniques and meditation. This Sanskrit word means ‘union’, and is often interpreted as the development of a stronger connection between body and mind. Standing in a queue…

There has been an outpouring of gratitude and praise for former school principal and 2006 Grahamstown Citizen of the Year, Nontsikelelo ‘Ntsiki’ Mpahlwa-Mene, as her family, former pupils and the community mourn her death. Mpahlwa-Mene was found at her home on Saturday. Both the police and the family said no foul play was suspected. According to the family, she suffered from a terminal medical condition. Family spokesperson Mzukisi Mpahlwa said his niece had raised the alarm when Ntsiki failed to answer her phone after repeated calls. When family members went to her Cradock Heights home, their concern grew when they saw…

Clarinettist Shelley Levy and pianist Pavel Timofeyevsky will feature in the Grahamstown Music Society’s next concert on Thursday 10 May at 7.30pm in the NELM Auditorium at 25 Worcester Street. Shelley Levy (clarinet) was born in Cape Town, where she received her first musical education, before studying further in Geneva and London.  Pavel Timofeyevsky (piano) was born in Russia and educated in Britain.  Both artists, who are resident in Britain, have frequently performed there and in several other countries. The programme consists of works by Burgmüller, Brahms, Chausson, Debussy, Bozza, Bernstein and the highly acclaimed contemporary South Afrcan composer Hendrik Hofmeyr. Tickets cost R90,…

A diatribe from Council’s Speaker at the end of the open section of Wednesday 25 April Ordinary Council meeting was so searing that it could have incinerated in seconds every agenda in the chamber, were the municipality still routinely distributing printed council documents. However, the emailing of electronic agendas for Council meetings is one of several measures the current Makana Council has adopted to save costs and improve efficiency. With the process of appointing a municipal manager well under way, the renewal of acting MM Ted Pillay’s appointment from 1 May to 31 July was pending progress regarding the former,…

Murder judgment casts spotlight on Grahamstown schoolchildren’s high-risk social lives, and victim’s family says residents should know what’s happening on their doorsteps. Sue Maclennan reports. In a highly detailed judgment, Judge Mbulelo Jolwana noted the Grahamstown community’s disgust at a night of brutality and horror, revealed after a young woman’s broken and lifeless body was discovered among a pile of rubbish on Sunday 5 December 2016. However, he said he was guided by the Constitutional values in acquitting a boy who at age 16 participated in the assault on Denise Nogqala, then 22. The court found his co-accused, Lindani Vamva…

Immigrant shop owners targeted in a looting spree on Tuesday 24 April have made a plea for fellow residents to unite against thugs, pointing out that their actions hurt not only shopkeepers but also the communities the shops serve. And a community organisation has called for authorities to inform stakeholders better ahead of marches and protests. “We cannot be defeated by a handful of tsotsis. This is a five-tsotsi zone: there are a few of them and hundreds of us!” shop owner Muhammad ‘Roni’ Masum said as those affected met the next day to plan how to return to their communities…